Mechs and Medicine
by Barddoc1992
Summary: Set during ME2. Immediate follow up to "Heads, Hearts, and Hand-to-Hand." Shepard, Thane and Garrus run into serious problems on a mission to wipe out a Blue Suns base. Shrios pairing developing. Rated T for some swearing, combat violence, and serious injury.
1. Mercs and Mechs

**Standard Disclaimer: Everything Mass Effect is owned by BioWare, and I receive no financial benefit from this fanfiction.**

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"I hope this side trip is worth the delay in picking up Tali," Garrus grumbled from his seat on the Normandy's shuttle. He rolled his shoulders and stretched out one leg with what looked like a grimace, though it was hard to tell for sure. "And after Snake Man here made me look like a drunken soldier who couldn't stay upright on the sparring mat yesterday…"

Thane opened his mouth to apologize for being too rough, but the turian cut him off. "And don't even think about saying sorry. I'm not some new recruit who can't handle it."

"You sure are grumpy today, Garrus," Shepard commented. "I thought all that natural armor plating kept the bruises away." He just glared at her, blue eyes hard and focused, daring her to persist with the teasing.

She decided not to push it. "And I agree about the wait for Tali. I miss her, too. But you heard the briefing…"

"It's not that I miss her," Garrus broke in, sounding a bit flustered. "Well, I do, but not…'miss her' miss her. That way."

"What way might that be?" Thane inquired, with his typical neutrality. But his subharmonic undertone of enjoyment was clear even to Shepard.

The turian scowled at the fellow snipers on the bench across from him. "We are not doing this today," he flatly stated.

"Doing what?" Thane and Shepard asked simultaneously.

Garrus tried to carry on his intimidation tactic until he could no longer control the twitching of his mandibles. When his rusty chuckles broke free, the commander joined in, while the assassin allowed a small smile to emerge. The atmosphere in the shuttle relaxed considerably.

"I'm sorry, Shepard," Garrus admitted. "I know we'll get to Tali soon, and these mercs have to be stopped from luring in more ships with that fake distress call. But with the way that signal is interfering with our scans, we're going in nearly blind. That's not how we operate. I don't like it."

"Setting down on Sanctum in 10 minutes, Commander," Joker announced over the shuttle's comm system. "As you get closer to the source of that signal we'll likely lose contact with you until it's disabled. You'll lose EDI as well, and the shuttle will revert to its VI autopilot until comms are reestablished. But before all that happens, we cleaned up the scans enough to give you some additional info. There's an empty landing pad 30 meters outside the front door. You should be able to get out of the shuttle and into cover with no problem if you're fast. EDI says you've got some rock formations to work with."

The pilot continued, "After that, be prepared to get swarmed. We managed enough detail to show massed life signs throughout the complex and attached mine. But even with Cerberus tech and our own upgrades, we still can't get a more exact read on structural specifics or on how many mercs are in what locations. The attacked freighters with their basic tech never stood a chance against these guys. But I guess a fake distress call wouldn't be very convincing if the intended victims could scan the area and discover the truth. Sorry we can't do better."

"Thanks for the update, Joker. That's more than we knew 30 minutes ago." Shepard turned to her squad mates. "Looks like we won't have to fight over kill shots today. As I said in the briefing, our recent hits on other Blue Suns operations lead me to expect a few higher-up-the-food-chain types in this location. That will mean better armor, better shields, and probably even barriers on the leaders, maybe even some heavy mechs. My guts says this won't be a typical Blue Suns fight."

She heard her link to the Normandy dissolve into static, so she switched off the feed, nodding for Garrus and Thane to do the same. She paused briefly, knowing she was about to hear complaints. "So, before you two go in that front door, I'm going to take point in cloaked infiltration mode so I can scout out the logistical data we don't have."

Her teammates didn't disappoint. "Shepard," they both began. Thane inclined his head toward Garrus, indicating the turian should speak. "It's one thing to take point when we've got better intel, but you could be walking into a wall of thugs at close range."

"And if that happens, I'll stay cloaked and backtrack to you, and we'll use that info to come up with a healthier alternative." She looked at them, exasperated. "Lack of intel is precisely why I should do my ghost thing. The cloak puts me at less risk than either of you. Come on, how many times have we done this?"

"You do rush in where most angels fear to tread," Thane observed. At the increasingly irate expression on her face, he placated, "Forgive the comparison, Commander. You are a clever strategist, and your intuition rarely leads you wrong. But this mission bothers me. What is it that humans say? 'I have a bad feeling about this'?"

"I feel it, too, Shepard," Garrus agreed. "There's something more here than just lack of intel."

Shepard considered the two males, veterans at the top of their fields. She nodded decisively. "You both have good instincts I would be stupid to ignore. So we will be even more cautious than we usually are. But do either of you have a better, safer entry plan than mine?"

She saw them struggling with the urge to protect her and the knowledge she would hand them their heads if they tried. After a long moment of silence, she announced, "I didn't think so. Grab your gear. We'll be groundside in a few minutes."

"And Thane?" She grinned before checking her weapons. "The 'angels fear to tread' reference is from Alexander Pope's 'An Essay on Criticism.' And 'bad feeling' is a running _Star Wars_ gag line. You have to stop giving me easy Earth quotes. I'm one up on you now."

"You two are strange," Garrus muttered beneath Thane's pleased rumble as they prepped for landing and combat.

Waves of mercs greeted the shuttle's arrival, but they were still basically Blue Suns flunkies and easily handled despite the better protection Shepard had predicted. Thane warped any barriers while Shepard employed energy drain, then Garrus used overload and his assault rifle's rapid fire to destroy shields, followed by Shepard taking out armor with incinerate, while they all traded off on covering each other's tech and biotic attacks. Kill shots were up to whoever could claim them, and competition was fierce. The commander and her Widow usually came out on top.

Once the team was ready to move indoors, Shepard's stealthy intel gathering didn't uncover anything particularly dangerous or difficult, much to her colleagues' relief. The complex was mostly made up of large common rooms with plenty of cover, so Thane and Shepard hung back with their sniper rifles while Garrus took point with his Vindicator. Resistance wasn't bad considering the numbers they faced, though some of their adversaries were tougher than usual. But even the nastier bad guys still fell under the trio's well-synchronized attacks.

The team got a smile out of the closure notice describing someone's unplanned expansion of a mining tunnel into the dining area. After clearing the mess hall of Blue Suns, they used the tunnel to access the mine, making note of resources to pick up at the end of the mission. From there, they worked their way to a door that appeared to lead out of the mine into a different section of the complex.

"Shepard, about that bad feeling…" Garrus began.

"I'm right with you, big guy," she acknowledged. "All the hairs on the back of my neck are telling me the next room is not going to be fun. Is your omnitool picking anything up? Or yours, Thane?"

Garrus tapped away for a moment. "There's still interference, but I'm sure there's a mech energy signature in there. Your instincts were right about that."

"I'm getting an energy signature too, but it's distorted," she stated. "We're getting close to the origin of that damn signal, and it's causing problems even with local scans."

"I agree," Thane contributed. "My scans for mechanical energy are scrambled beyond recognition."

Garrus could not resist the invitation. "Perhaps your omnitool needs some calibrations?" he quipped. Thane's thrumming in response sounded amused.

"Come on, back on task with the both of you," the commander ordered, fighting down a smile. "With what you see, Garrus, are you thinking LOKIs or a BGDM?"

"Pretty sure it's a Big God Damn Mech, Shepard," he answered. "Sorry, I know you love those."

"They're not too bad when we can plan for them," she replied. "I'm not getting any life signs nearby. How about you two?"

"None here, Shepard," Thane reported, "and that seems odd. Scans for mechs are distorted, while scans for life signs are clear but empty? The distortion should apply to both types of readings. This data is not trustworthy. The effort to mask life signs indicates their presence."

"Good catch," Shepard told Thane. "Okay, looks like we're back to the same plan we used for the front door. You two hold back while I cloak and scout out what we're really facing."

"Liking it even less now than I did the first time," Garrus practically growled. "You know a heavy mech might be able to lock onto you even with your cloak."

The commander looked up at the tall turian, assessing. Finally she turned to the assassin. "Could you give us a couple of minutes, please?"

With a nod, Thane went to seek out the resources they had discovered throughout the mine. He began the work of shifting what could be easily carried to a central location for easier pick-up.

Once their teammate was a distance away, Shepard asked with concern, "Garrus, what's going on?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure, Morgan. Don't hit me, but I want to pick you up and carry you the hell out of here."

"Your armor would be really uncomfortable for me," she countered with a smile. "Have Thane do the carrying."

Garrus did growl this time and took a step closer to her. "Don't disregard this. I'm serious."

Shepard's eyes widened but she held her ground. "I can see that. And you need to calm down."

After a moment he released a breath, turned around, and took a few steps. "Thank you," Shepard said. "You know you make my neck ache when you loom over me like that."

He looked back over his shoulder with a smirk. "That's because you're short."

"The universe thanks you for stating the obvious, freaky raptor guy." After a few moments, Shepard strode around Garrus and faced him again, placing her hand on his arm. "Talk to me, Garrus."

The former Archangel closed his eyes as he exhaled a deep breath. "Something about this situation, Morgan, it reminds me of when I rejoined you after Omega." He opened his eyes and watched for her reaction to his words. "We didn't talk about it in so many words, but you were badly rattled and hurting. Who wouldn't be, with what happened and how you woke up? Plus your feelings about the people who paid for the work?"

When Shepard made no effort to respond, Garrus continued. "You are not the type to give up, so I didn't worry about you and alcohol or other self-destructive behavior. But I did worry about you on the battlefield. For a while, you were reckless, dangerously so, and that has never been your MO. I was afraid that you might choose your out through combat. So even though I know you hate it, I became more protective, trying to anticipate when you might…do something. I wanted to be there to stop it."

"Oh, Garrus," Shepard sighed. "I'm sorry I put you through that. Really sorry. Because I can't honestly say you were wrong, though it wasn't conscious on my part. But are you still truly worried about that? I've been feeling much better adjusted to my new reality for a while now. And you have to know that having you back in my life is a big part of that. When you're not jerking Jacob Taylor's chain, that is."

"That's exactly what I can't explain, Morgan," Garrus admitted with frustration. "You have really settled. In combat, you are smart, careful, using that brain of yours for tactical decisions that the bad guys never see coming. And out of combat, like when we were laughing over those damn datapads last week, you looked…happy, even with all this Cerberus crap. I don't know why I'm suddenly feeling so anxious over your safety again. And I don't like it."

Shepard gazed up at her best friend, her brother in everything but blood. "Okay, then I'm taking this seriously, Garrus. You are not the nervous type. Even if you can't pinpoint what it is, something is tripping your alarms. I'm inclined to think it's this location and the circumstances of our mission, since I'm certainly not planning to be stupid today. So what is your suggestion for proceeding?"

Garrus put his hand over Shepard's and squeezed it gently before letting it go. "Thank you for trusting me on this, Morgan. Let's call Thane back in and brainstorm."

"Sounds good," she agreed.

He started moving toward the assassin with Shepard walking alongside him. "Hmmm. I wonder, will it still 'sound good' when you realize that Thane probably heard everything we said? Drell senses are nearly as sharp as turian."

"Um, his hearing is that keen?" she questioned, turning a bit pink. "Well, I'm okay with him catching that talk. I mean, it doesn't seem to bother you."

"I didn't throw out a casual 'Have Thane do the carrying,' did I?" Garrus smugly replied.

"I need to toss you out an airlock once we're back on the Normandy," Shepard groused.

Thane looked up as they approached. "My apologies for overhearing, Shepard. You already knew so much about the drell when I was first recruited. I did not realize you were unaware of my sensory capabilities."

"Not unaware so much as surprised by the true range, Thane. No harm done," Shepard responded.

"Thank you for your acceptance," he replied with a slight bow. As he looked up again, he gave her a half smile. "And if you ever need or wish to be carried, Shepard, I will remember that you prefer my arms to Garrus's."

Shepard could feel the blush moving up her throat and across her cheeks. "I can't believe I set myself up for moments like these by choosing to bring you two as a team," she complained. "Now play nice or I'll break up the band."

"No, you won't," Garrus contradicted with certainty.

"Yeah, you're right, I probably won't," she confessed. "But let's talk about that next room and our scanning problems. Wait…do either of you think you might be able to hear through the door?"

A few minutes later, both Garrus and Thane had taken turns pressing their heads against the metal entrance that led out of the mine. In addition to his sense of hearing, the assassin also used his fingertips. Afterwards, they both had a little more information to share.

"I definitely hear something heavy and mechanical moving in there, Shepard, so we are dealing with a BGDM," Garrus reported. "In fact, I'm concerned there might be two. And with the way the sounds echo, I think we're looking at another big room."

"I concur," Thane added. "The sound and vibration levels both support those possibilities. But I did not sense any organic activity—no talking, footsteps, or other types of movement. It is probable the Blue Suns will hold back, perhaps in a room beyond this one, hoping the mechs will finish us."

"Great work," Shepard praised. "I would have hated the surprise of walking in on two of those BGDMs. And the chance the mercs are hanging back is also good news for us. Unfortunately, I think I still need to be the first one through the door. We don't yet have any idea about cover. A big room is a plus when dealing with heavy mechs, but the word 'echo' makes me worried. A lot of stacked crates would absorb sound and reduce reverb."

She held up her palm to forestall the turian's objection. "You've already gone above and beyond, Garrus. We know a lot more than we did because you shared your concerns. So let's talk about strategy to take down those mechs so we stay safe and able to handle however many mercs hit us when their big toys get broken."

Garrus clicked his mandibles in a way that indicated displeasure, but he nodded his compliance to Shepard. "Assuming a big room and based on the sound levels, the mechs don't seem to be near the doors. If this room is about the same size as the first one we cleared, then I would estimate the BGDMs are more than halfway across the space."

"That gives the commander a greater safety margin if she enters first and verifies cover," Thane offered. "The greater the distance, the less likely the mechs will notice her power or heat signatures."

Shepard nodded her appreciation of his support. "Thane, this is your first time taking down a big mech as part of our team, so here are some things you might not have thought about when you were working solo. BGDMs are programmed to prioritize the attacks they face in battle. They will always go after an enemy biotic first, so make sure you are secure in heavy cover before drawing attention to yourself with warp or throw."

She continued, "Other than that, the best way to maximize our attacks is to focus them. So try to keep attacking the first mech I target until it's gone. With one down, the other will be much easier to handle. And remember that these sons of bitches blow up and that a killing head shot can trigger a much bigger explosion than normal. So keep your teammates' positions in mind at all times and avoid kill shots if a colleague is within blast range without solid cover. If the mercs come out to play before both BGDMs are gone, then try to time a killing head shot for when the big boom might catch as many Blue Suns as possible."

"Are we ready to do this?" she asked, looking at her squad. Her best friend still seemed reluctant so she nudged his side with her armored shoulder. "Come on, Garrus. In just an hour or two we'll be back on the Normandy, and you'll be able to brag how your superpowered hearing saved my ass."

"Alright, Shepard," he conceded, trying to lighten up, "as long as I get bragging rights."

"Deal," she agreed. "Now stay outside the doors and don't do anything to bring the mechs toward the entrance until I'm in cover. If I decide cover is a bust, I'll withdraw and we'll see about luring them out here to us." With that, she turned on her tactical cloak and disappeared.

As soon as the doors opened, the facility leader announced his displeasure over a PA system.

"Spirits, what is it about arrogant bad guys who love the sound of their own voice?" Garrus muttered softly.

Though she was cloaked and couldn't be seen, the commander smiled anyway. Quickly moving down a ramp into the big room, she whispered rapid fire observations to the team. Thankfully the mercs' signal wasn't messing with the team's short-range links. The BGDMs were protecting the back wall of the space, where there were two open doorways on either side of a locked central door. She'd bet the comm console was in the middle, with Blue Suns hiding in the adjacent rooms.

She was glad to see heavy-duty metal cargo containers scattered around the third of the room nearest the entrance. They provided good cover and explained the echoes.

Along the side wall across from the entrance were two raised storage areas with railings. A narrow set of stairs led from the main floor to the platforms and divided them. The BGDMs would never be able to access the elevated areas. The top of the stairway was blocked by a wooden crate, but one shot from her Widow would take care of that. Both areas held sky-cars—great for reliable cover in a fight against big mechs—as well as more crates.

"Going to make my move," she continued murmuring over the link. "Heading out…now!"

Shepard knew her invisibility was about to go, so she dashed across the room to the platform stairs. Shooting the crate finished her cloak and drew the attention and firepower of the BGDMs. She hustled into heavy cover on the right storage platform with only minor damage to her shields and then threw energy drain at the closest mech.

The mechs fired on her and tried to approach, but the platform and a sky-car kept her safe. She kept repeating her tech attack in between shots from her Widow. "Garrus, Thane, mechs are now focused on me. Garrus, stay on the entrance side of the room, on the main floor behind any metal container. Go!"

The second mech noticed the new arrival and shifted that direction, but Shepard hit it with energy drain so it would turn back to her. The turian got into cover and opened fire with his assault rifle, but the mechs remained focused on Shepard and her combo of tech and Widow attacks. "Since you are most vulnerable, Garrus, don't draw their attention with overload unless you have to. Get ready to cover Thane."

"In position and ready," he replied, using his Vindicator to steadily whittle down the shields of the first mech.

The commander addressed her last team member. "Thane, maneuver onto the other raised storage area in the corner. No biotics until you are in heavy cover. Go!"

The mechs made Thane's move easy by continuing to target Shepard. Once the drell was behind a sky-car, he confirmed, "In position, in heavy cover." His teammates acknowledged.

He saw the shields of the first mech go down, so he warped its armor. Just as the commander described, the BGDMs recognized his biotics as a greater threat and began heading his direction. But they had no better luck breaching his platform than they had hers. He was free to warp, throw, and snipe at will. Garrus and Shepard were able to attack from the back and the side, respectively, with little or no return fire. When the armor went down on the first mech, Shepard managed to hack it, turning it against its twin.

And that's when everything went to hell.

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**Many thanks to ElCapitan18 for being a generous back-up beta!**

**As always, I would love your feedback. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Mechs and Medics

Once the mechs began fighting each other, they started drifting away from Thane's corner and back toward the middle of the room. That took them closer to Shepard, who was still on her safe platform but had left the shadows behind the sky-car in order to have a better line of sight on the BGDMs. Since she wasn't under direct fire from the mechs, she was relying for protection on the wooden crates that lined the perimeter of the platform. Then the Blue Suns leader made his appearance at the edge of one of the back doorways.

Thane noticed the danger first. "Shepard, get to heavier cover!" But the cry came a split second too late. The merc captain pointed his pistol and fired at the hacked mech, which was already showing signs that it was about to go down. The head shot triggered a Cain-like detonation, and Shepard was caught in the blast. The crates around her disintegrated. She was sent flying until she hit the side wall and fell to the storage area floor behind a sky-car. The second mech was also destroyed, though its resulting explosion was minor in comparison.

"Morgan!" Garrus yelled, leaping from cover to go to her. He was forced to duck back behind a container as Blue Suns poured out of the back rooms and opened fire.

"Garrus, think!" Thane commanded. "We must remove these mercs before we can attend to Shepard. And our first target should be that captain." To reinforce his point, he attacked the leader's barrier with warp.

"Got it," the turian responded as his assault rifle killed two mercs trying to get to Shepard. "Sending a concussive shot...now." A moment later the barrier was gone.

Thane used throw against a cluster of mercs trying to flank Garrus and then picked them off with his Viper. Able to keep concentrating on the Blue Suns leader, Garrus sent an overload to the bastard's shields and finished them with his Vindicator. Thane warped the captain again to take down his armor and then killed him with a head shot.

In remarkably little time, the two of them wiped out the remaining Blue Suns. Both then rushed to Shepard, leaping obstacles in the way. Thane was closer and got to her side just before Garrus. She was unconscious, sprawled on her back like a rag doll, with blood pooling underneath her left leg. A lot of blood.

The turian switched on his ship feed and tried to raise the Normandy. "Joker, this is Garrus, do you read?" Nothing but static came back over the link. "Joker, do you read? Thane, we need to disable that signal distortion before we can call for the shuttle."

Thane had been busy assessing Shepard's condition. Now he was carefully removing the armor from her injured leg. He had yet to find the source of the blood. "Contacting the doctor might take priority over the shuttle, my friend. If you take care of the fake distress call, I'll see what I can do for Shepard."

The wounded commander took all his attention, though Thane wasn't surprised when he heard a muted "boom" just a minute or two later. He briefly glanced over his shoulder in time to watch Garrus swing over a railing and duck a bit as the plate glass behind him shattered. Then the turian slapped his hand against the back of his neck like he'd been bitten by a bug.

Within moments, the link crackled and then Joker's voice came through clear. "…. mander? Commander? Garrus? Thane? Come on, guys, this is getting..."

"We're here, Joker," Garrus cut in. "No time to chat. Get Chakwas on the link and have EDI direct the shuttle to the coordinates I'm sending. Shepard is down."

"What happ…" Joker began. "Never mind. Shuttle never left the planet, just moved off to a safe distance. EDI is sending it to the pick-up coordinates now. And the doctor should be…"

"The doctor is on the line, Joker," Chakwas calmly stated. "Fill me in, gentlemen."

Thane made the report. "Commander Shepard was caught in the blast radius of a very powerful heavy mech explosion. She was thrown, hitting a wall and then the floor, and she has been unconscious since the blast, about eight minutes. She was not wearing a helmet, just a visor. The back of her head has a sizable knot but no sponginess. But the bigger issue right now is blood loss from a wound on her left leg. Have you regained access to our medical readouts?"

"Yes," the doctor acknowledged. "She's going into shock. Her heart rate is up and her blood pressure is dropping. Are you applying pressure?"

"I've not yet found the source, Doctor," Thane admitted. "I am tearing away the leg of her under-suit now. Gods…Arashu, no."

"Thane, your vitals are climbing," Chakwas told him. "I need you calm. I need your eyes and hands. Most of all, I need your brain."

The doctor heard Thane inhale and exhale, while Garrus muttered something to his Spirits.

"Shepard has a piece of shrapnel in her thigh," Thane described. "Blood loss is a steady seeping rather than spraying or spurting. Shard looks to be metal, from the heavy mech I would guess. The wound is about 10 cm above her knee and toward the inside of the leg. The fragment must have hit her armor joint just right and slid in between the ceramic plates. It is not large, only 1.5 cm or so wide. It protrudes at an angle about 4 cm beyond the wound entrance. I cannot see to tell how deeply it penetrates. But I fear displacing the fragment might increase her bleeding."

"And with the protrusion, you can't apply direct pressure," Chakwas added. "You'll have to use a tourniquet. Quickly, you need to find something at least 6 or 8 cm wide and long enough to wrap around her thigh above the wound, with enough left over to create a windlass for tightening."

"The seatbelts in the sky-cars," Garrus offered. "Would those work?"

"Nearly ideal," the doctor replied. "If the buckle mechanism includes a slide latch, more common on back center seats, you might not need the windlass. Go for it. But do it fast."

Garrus hacked the lock on the nearest vehicle, and Thane immediately leaned into the back seat. He tore out both sides of the center seatbelt while Garrus cut the much longer driver's-side belt.

"Give me a minute," Garrus asked, holding his hand out for Thane's belt and latch. "I think I can use the back slide latch on the longer length from the front seat."

As the turian worked with the straps, Thane again knelt by Shepard and prayed. Quicker than the assassin would have thought possible, Garrus handed the strap back to him. "I'm pretty sure that will function as the doctor wants."

"Good work, Garrus," Chakwas said briskly as Thane nodded in agreement. "Now, slip the belt under her thigh. And please hope she stays unconscious, because making the tourniquet tight enough to be effective will be very painful for her. You'll know you've hit the correct point when the bleeding stops. And I mean stops—no slow seeping. A tourniquet that isn't tight enough can do more harm than good. Tell me when it's in place."

"Garrus, do you or Shepard have anything in your mini med kits to wipe away the blood while I tighten?" Thane asked. "Right now, I can't tell if the bleeding is slowing or not."

The turian produced two antiseptic wipes and began opening the packages. As his talons neared Shepard's thigh, Thane advised him, "Just around the edges of the wound, and stay clear of that shrapnel." Garrus nodded and went to work.

After another two minutes, Thane told Chakwas and Garrus that the bleeding appeared to have stopped. "Alright, to the next step," the doctor replied. "Do you have any medi-gel in actual gel form rather than in patches?"

"I do not," he admitted. "Garrus?"

"Not a common thing to carry in the mini kits, Doctor," he informed her. "Sorry."

"I didn't think so, but there was no harm in asking," she replied. "The med kit on the shuttle will have some. So get her there quickly but carefully, moving her leg as little as possible. It would be best to splint it so her knee doesn't flex. You don't want that muscle with the shrapnel to shift position in any way and suffer further damage."

After splinting with slats from a destroyed crate and the unused seat belt lengths, Thane gently picked up Shepard. As Garrus gathered Shepard's weapons and leg armor, he tried some weak humor. "And she isn't even awake to appreciate being carried by you. She'll be sorry she missed it."

Thane directed a sad smile at the woman in his arms. "You can tease her about it later."

EDI had the shuttle waiting just outside the proper opening to the mine. As the two males settled the commander on a bench seat, Garrus shook his head with a sigh. "Spirits, seeing her like this—I know I tease her about her size, but most of the time I forget how small she really is. She seems so fragile."

Dr. Chakwas reminded them of her presence, now speaking over the shuttle's comm rather than their personal links. "You forget because she has the strongest will of anyone we have ever met. We'll get her through this, Garrus. Her blood pressure is no longer dropping, which is good news. Now open the shuttle's med kit and find the medi-gel I mentioned. Once you have it, whoever has the steadier hands needs to apply it around the edges of the wound without disturbing the shrapnel. The gel will disinfect and help with clotting."

"Your hands are better suited, Thane," Garrus conceded. "I'm getting some post-combat shakes."

"Thane, after you have stabilized the commander, I want you to look at Garrus," Chakwas instructed. "His readings are not quite normal. He doesn't usually crash this way after missions."

A few moments later Thane reported that the medi-gel application was complete. "Shall I check Garrus now, Doctor?" he asked.

"Not yet," she replied, "though I'll tell EDI it's okay for the shuttle to lift off since the delicate work is done. Joker says your ETA for rendezvous with Normandy is close to 40 minutes. The tourniquet has already been on for 12. Shepard would be fine for that amount of time, but the Cerberus implants throw a wildcard into this mix. Her cybernetics are more likely to help than hurt in this situation, but I don't want to rely on an assumption. So to reduce the possibility of complications in the compromised leg, I want you to surround it with cold packs from the med kit. The goal is to lower the temperature of the affected muscle by at least 5°c and preferably 10°c. Again, be careful not to disturb the shrapnel."

Thane and Garrus made sure Shepard didn't move as the shuttle took off. Then they located the cold packs. The turian asked, "Removing her under-suit from her leg means you're not getting data specific to that area, right, Doctor? I can use my omnitool to scan for the appropriate temperature changes and you can link to the data that way."

"You are right about the suit problem, Garrus," she acknowledged, "so your solution is much appreciated. After you allow Thane to look you over."

"I believe I already know the cause of his shakiness, Doctor," Thane stated as he opened, activated, and placed cold packs. "He has a sizable blood trail marking the back of his armor. It seems he has his own injury from flying debris, on the back of his neck I believe."

"Damn, I thought I felt something hit me there when I blew that comm console," Garrus griped. "Must have gotten me in between the plates. I probably only need some medi-gel."

"You're likely right," Chakwas admitted, "but Thane and then I are still going to take a look at it."

"Shepard's leg is packed," Thane told the doctor. Then he turned to his friend, with some dry amusement returning to his voice, "Let me examine it, Garrus. Shepard is far easier and more pleasant to carry than you would be. If you lose consciousness, I will leave you here on the shuttle for Grunt to haul."

"Would you really choose Shepard over me? Never mind. That was a stupid question." Garrus affected a put-upon sigh. "Go ahead and poke and prod my neck. I'll start those readings on her leg for the doctor."

Thane spent a couple of minutes wiping the blood from the turian's neck with medical wipes before telling his friend, "You were correct, Garrus. You have a small but apparently deep cut in between two of your plates. You were still within range of the flying glass when that window shattered. I cannot tell if the glass is still inside the wound. The good doctor will have to determine that."

"Dr. Chakwas, did you copy?" Thane asked. At her affirmative he continued, "I do not think a medi-gel patch will be effective here; it will adhere more to his plates surrounding the wound opening than to the wound itself. Should I use the gel form again?"

"I am gaining the distinct impression you have treated your own wounds on any number of occasions, Thane," Chakwas commented shrewdly. "Yes, apply some gel directly to the wound in between or underneath the edges of plates as needed. Then apply a patch over the entire affected area. Even without direct contact with the wound, the patch will disinfect and protect the general vicinity."

Thane followed her instructions and was soon finished.

"The two of you have done excellent work today," the doctor informed them. "And you are both now pushing your physiological limits. As much as you might not want to, you need to eat and drink something. And now would be better than waiting until you are aboard the Normandy. So break into the shuttle's emergency stores. And that's a medical directive. Don't think I won't report you to Shepard if you don't comply."

She concluded, "I'm going to sign off to consult with Ms. Lawson about Shepard's cybernetics and the use of the tourniquet. If you need me, just tell Joker. And Garrus, Thane—you've taken very good care of the commander. Please take care of yourselves now. Chakwas out."

"I don't know about you," Garrus said to Thane, "but eating something right now is about the least appealing thing I can think of."

Thane was staring at the blood on his hands—Shepard's blood, mostly. "I concur," he replied, "but the doctor is right. I used my biotics far more than usual in that final fight, and I admit to feeling the effects. But I cannot imagine holding food…with this hand." His voice faded out and he closed his eyes to block the image of all the red staining his green scales. Unexpectedly he was pulled in by recollection, to the sight of blood covering lovely teal scales. So much blood.

"Use the wipes, Thane," Garrus counseled. He gazed at his colleague with concern. The drell seemed to have slipped away somewhere else in his mind. Garrus reached into the emergency stores for cleansing wipes, water tubes, and both dextro and levo energy bars. He unwrapped one of the wipes and offered it to Thane. "Here, take this."

Opening his eyes, Thane looked at Garrus and blinked his inner eyelids several times. "I apologize. Powerful or vivid memories can sometimes…engulf me." He took the wipe and worked at the blood stains. It took a number of wipes before most of the blood was removed.

Garrus was suddenly very glad he did not have his friend's perfect recall. He threw away the used wipes, handed Thane a water tube and energy bar, and stretched his long legs across the aisle of the shuttle. They ate and drank in silence, neither taking his eyes off of their injured commander.

Fifteen minutes later, they were halfway back to the Normandy. Thane was torn by Shepard's unconscious state. He didn't want her to experience the pain of the tourniquet, but he wanted some indication that her head injury was not as severe as it was starting to appear. Chakwas had checked back in a few minutes ago and reported that her vitals had stabilized. But more than half an hour without regaining awareness was not a good sign.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind then a low moan came from the commander. "Joker, get the doctor back on the comm. Shepard is coming to," Thane warned. "Garrus, if she fully awakens, she will try to move. We might need to restrain her until she understands what has occurred. If it becomes necessary, I will take her shoulders while you take her feet."

Shepard began tossing her head, took a shocked deep breath, and then stiffened in obvious distress. Thane and Garrus immediately took positions to hold her still. "Shepard," Thane coaxed. "Shepard, look at me. Look at me." Her eyes opened and she slowly turned her head toward his face, but she was clearly stunned and confused.

"Good, Commander," he commended. "I know you are in severe pain. Focus on my voice. Focus, Shepard." He waited for some of the confusion to abate. "You've been injured and need to keep still. Stay focused on my voice and breathe with me until Doctor Chakwas joins us on the comm."

"I'm here, Thane," came the doctor's reassuringly professional tone. "Welcome back, Commander. I'm sending an order to your suit to release some medication into your system. It won't be as much as you might want, because I'll be performing surgery very soon after you arrive in med bay. But allow Thane to help you relax as much as you can, and the pain should ease shortly."

"I…I know…I probably won't remember later…," Shepard managed to say, "but talk to me anyway…. Tell me what happened…. Give me something…to focus on."

"Keep breathing with me and we will try to satisfy your curiosity. Take a breath. Release it, slow and even. What is the last thing you remember, Shepard?" Thane asked, easing off her shoulders and picking up one of her hands. He stroked it gently, in rhythm with their breathing.

"You two did your listening at the door thing…. I entered the room to scout…. Then…nothing. Until now," she admitted.

"You know how concussions work, Morgan," Garrus rumbled soothingly. "The more you push, the more it hurts. You'll regain at least some of the lost time."

Shepard tried a small grin. "But damn it…I know I must have gotten carried out of there…but I don't remember." The pain forced a grimace, but she gamely went for a smile again. "It'd better have been Thane…or I'll have extra bruises from your armor, Garrus."

Thane gave her his unique half smile. "You will have so many bruises tomorrow, Shepard, I do not think you would know the difference."

"You're probably right there," she acknowledged. "Hmmm. I think the meds…are kicking in a bit…. Getting sleepy. So what happened…. I know you two completed the mission…because you were able to call the shuttle."

"Well, there were indeed two heavy mechs. You managed to hack the first mech when its armor went down," Garrus described. "I've never seen two BGDMs fighting each other; it was quite a sight. I don't know if my visor was able to record with the signal interference, but I hope so. Then the Blue Suns captain peeked out of the back room, timed the moment perfectly, and took out the hacked mech with a head shot. Your only cover was wooden crates, and you got caught in the blast."

Shepard was starting to fade out again. "I trust…you made him regret…that decision?"

"First thing we did, Morgan," Garrus assured her. "Dr. Chakwas, it is safe for her to doze off?"

"Yes," she replied. "In fact, transfer from the shuttle to med bay will be much easier for her if she is unaware of the pain."

"I…heard…that," Shepard rejoined, even though her eyes were now closed.

"Shh, Shepard. Let everything go," Thane whispered. "We will take care of you and keep you safe." She mumbled something unintelligible in reply, and then Thane felt the hand he was stroking go slack.

* * *

**Notes: **for you bio/med field folks, I got a refresher on the basic rules for tourniquet use from article PMC2660095 at the NIH website. I admit that I fudged the info a bit. Lowering muscle temperature of the affected area is usually only considered when the tourniquet must remain in place for much longer than an hour.

I also tweaked some little details. I added my own take on how heavy mechs target and fight—but not how they explode. That's BioWare. And the corner where Thane takes cover is inaccessible in the actual game.

I changed one significant in-game detail. Shepard, Garrus and Thane are using the Kodiak shuttle while the Normandy stays in orbit. The game shows the Normandy coming very close to the planet's surface before dropping the shuttle for an incredibly short flight. But according to EDI, the Normandy has a shuttle because the ship is too big to land on planets with decent gravity and atmosphere. Sanctum has both. But landing isn't the only problem—just entering and leaving the atmosphere would also cause physical stress on the ship and would waste a lot of fuel. In my headcanon for this story, Miranda could have ordered the Normandy into atmosphere to get Shepard back to the ship faster if Chakwas determined it was necessary, but Thane and Garrus got her stabilized. So they used the shuttle as a shuttle is meant to be used (and as it is used in ME3, when Steve pilots it).

**As always, I would love your feedback. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Med Bay

Another twenty minutes passed before the shuttle docked and Thane could carry an unconscious Shepard into med bay. As promised, Chakwas had everything ready for surgery, with Miranda prepped as her assistant. After Thane placed his burden carefully on the indicated table, Chakwas gestured toward the turian.

"Garrus, before you go, let me see your neck," she requested. The turian obeyed, bending at the waist toward her. "Good, the bleeding has stopped and the patch is holding. It will make it through a shower. Now, the two of you need to leave. I will be with her for at least an hour, maybe a little longer, so get cleaned up and grab something better than energy bars to eat. Then I want you back in here so I can check you over. Both of you," she directed at Thane. "By the time I'm done with you, Shepard might be awake enough for a quick visit and chat. Now shoo. The longer you linger, the longer she waits for my care."

So the two of them left, though they waited just outside med bay until the windows blacked out on privacy mode. Both Garrus and Thane felt adrift. Being cut off from Shepard seemed wrong after the efforts and anxiety of the last 90 minutes. They might have continued standing and staring if Mess Sergeant Gardner hadn't called out to them. With reluctance they headed over to the galley counter.

"The doctor told me you fellas would be needing a good meal," he confided. "I've already got some of your favorites heating up. So why don't you hit the showers while I finish getting it all ready?"

Garrus found his voice first. "Thanks, Rupert. We'll be out for that meal shortly."

By the time Thane and Garrus fulfilled the first part of the doctor's orders and started working on the second, a crowd had gathered in the mess area. The two snipers received a lot of inquisitive looks from people dying for news, but they were left alone to eat. The other squad members were clustered together at a table, except for Jack and Grunt who both paced nearby. Samara was saying something in her most tranquil tone, trying to exert a calming influence over a tense, fidgety crew. Finally the windows of med bay lightened and all eyes went to the corner bed surrounded by curtains.

A minute later, Dr. Chakwas left med bay and took a few steps into the mess hall. "Garrus, Thane, I'd like to check you now. As for the rest of you, Shepard is going to be fine—she'll just have another new scar. Every one of you knows that nothing keeps her down for long. So go back to your shift assignments or your bunks or whatever you usually do this time of evening."

"Gentlemen," she said, as she invited the vigilante and the assassin back into her domain. Miranda stood near a terminal checking some readings. "And thank you for the assist, Miranda. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Dr. Chakwas," she responded. "And Thane, Garrus—you did a good job with Shepard, especially considering the circumstances. I'll see you all in the morning."

Once the doors closed behind the Cerberus agent, the doctor went to work. "Garrus, please sit in the chair by my desk so I can actually see that neck of yours. Thane, you can sit on that first bed. And don't argue about preferring to stand. You'll end up sitting there anyway as soon as I'm finished with your colleague."

After both males took their seats, the turian bent his head toward his chest to make his neck easier to access and asked, "How is she really, Doctor?"

Chakwas peeled off the medi-gel patch and began scanning the wound. "Just as I said, Garrus, Shepard will be fine. In fact, she should be up and walking tomorrow. You and Thane did everything right. The tourniquet stopped the bleeding, and the splint and your careful handling kept the shrapnel from inflicting further damage. Because of your combined efforts, my repair work was straightforward and anticlimactic in comparison."

She focused on her examination for a moment. "Sorry, Garrus, you've got a shard of your own, a small glass one. It's rather deep, so I'm going to give you something for pain before I go after it. And because turian skin does not approve of the only wound sealant I have on hand, I will have to stitch you. It might be sore for a few days, and I'll want you to stop in once daily for me to take a peek until the stitches can come out, but you'll be fine."

"How serious is Shepard's head injury, Doctor?" Thane asked, watching as Chakwas prepared an injection for Garrus.

"Just a moment, Thane. Here you go, Garrus. Small pinch," she warned.

"Spirits! Why do you always deceive your patients like that, Doctor? It's never a 'small' pinch," Garrus complained. "And if that's the same stuff you've given me before, then you know it will knock me out."

"You've had a long day, Garrus," she placidly replied. "I know it was daylight on Sanctum, but it's nearly 2200 ship time. Sleep is just what you need. But you have about 20 minutes before the effects go from local to systemic and the drowsiness kicks in. I'll be done with you long before that. I'll start in another two minutes or so, to give the injection a chance to do its work."

"So, the commander's head injury," she began, turning toward Thane. "I confirmed your field finding that there was no sponginess or softness to indicate major damage to the skull. My scans show she doesn't even have a hairline crack, so both of you can tease her—when she's better—about her hard head. There's no sign of any cerebral or intracranial bleeding. She has some mild swelling, so I'll keep an eye on her overnight and check her again in the morning."

She resumed caring for Garrus while carrying on with her explanation. "She will probably have a bad headache that will linger for a few days and perhaps some nausea, though Miranda says the cybernetics will likely speed up healing. And she will have extensive and uncomfortable bruising on her back and hips from the impact after she was thrown. She will need to rest at least 48 hours, maybe longer depending on the cybernetics and whether I can figure out a way to make her comply. I would appreciate your assistance—both of you—in getting her to take it easy and calling me if the headache or nausea get worse or if she has any double vision."

"All in all, gentleman," she concluded, as she pulled the shard from Garrus's wound with long, thin tweezers, "she was very lucky. If I know Shepard, she'll be complaining about my mother hen tendencies within 24 hours."

"Oh, you don't get that long, Doctor," came a voice from behind the privacy drapes. It was a little slurred but undeniably Shepard's. "What's going on out there? Can I open these curtains?"

"Don't move, Commander," Chakwas ordered. "I mean it. Thane, the mess hall has cleared out. Go ahead and open the drapes, if you would. Shepard, Garrus here took a small bit of shrapnel, which I've removed, and now I'm preparing to stitch him up. When I'm finished, I'll run a quick scan on Thane, and then I'll be able to assure you that your teammates are absolutely fine."

By this time, Thane had the offending curtains open. "How are you feeling, Shepard?" he asked, moving up the bed to stand by her head.

"Better, I think," she said with a tired smile. "I have a vague recollection of seeing three of you earlier—on the shuttle, maybe?—and trying to focus on the one in the middle. Now there's only one of you."

"That's definitely an improvement," came Garrus's voice from his awkward position by the doctor's desk. "Can you picture the galaxy with three assassins like Thane Krios? It boggles the mind."

"I believe three of you might be worse, Archangel," Chakwas commented. "Now stay still and stop trying to look at Shepard. She's not going anywhere for a while."

"Normal vision is good news, Commander," the doctor stated as she worked on Garrus. "How about headache or nausea?"

"I've got the headache I've come to associate with concussions—and with prothean artifacts attempting to communicate with my brain," Shepard admitted. "It's not fun but it's not horrible either. The nausea wasn't bothering me until you mentioned it, because you made me think of food. Which is making me nauseous."

"Prothean artifacts attempting to communicate with you?" Thane queried. "And you used 'artifacts' plural, so this has occurred more than once? I have a new line of questioning for our next evening chat."

"There you go, Garrus, all finished," the doctor informed him. The turian stood carefully and then joined Thane at Shepard's side. Chakwas continued, "Yes, Thane, more than once. I believe the current count, if we include the Cipher from the thorian, is six. Does that sound correct, Commander?"

"Five, Doctor. You must have double-counted something," Shepard disputed with wide-eyed innocence.

"Not at all, Commander," Chakwas retorted. "I am merely factoring in the high probability that you had at least one encounter you didn't report."

"She's been with you even longer than I have, Shepard," Garrus reminded her. "I don't think you can fool her."

"Well, I believe the diplomatic answer," Shepard began, with the thread of amusement that was so much a part of her normal speaking voice, "is that I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility of such an encounter. Damage to my recall abilities. Such a hazard with concussions and multiple prothean mind-fu…um, prothean data sharing."

Chakwas and Garrus both laughed aloud at the obvious word change, and even Thane relaxed his stance and smiled slightly. "Shepard, really, you can swear in front of me," the doctor admonished fondly, still chuckling. "I was born into an Alliance family, after all, and I've spent my life among marines. And now of course I serve with Jack and Zaeed. I think I have heard just about every combination of curse words and coarse language you can possibly imagine. But I'm glad you are clearly better than I thought you'd be this early in recovery."

"Now, Sere Krios," she said, returning to business. "Let's get that scan over with so Shepard can rest easy and you and Garrus can both get some sleep."

While Thane returned to his previous seat, Garrus moved to the head of the commander's bed. He looked her up and down carefully, reassuring himself that she was okay. "You scared me, Morgan," he admitted quietly. "Don't do that again."

"I'll certainly try not to, Garrus," she promised. "I have images coming back to me, and one of them is of a tourniquet on my leg. There's a splint and ice packs and a nasty piece of metal sticking out of my thigh. I'm guessing I put you and Thane through hell until you had me stable. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left heavy cover."

Garrus shook his head. "There's nothing to apologize for. The Blue Suns were in hiding, and we were all focused on the mechs. You were still protected by cover if a merc took a pot shot at you. None of us anticipated that captain choosing to blow the BGDM."

"I should have thought of it," she asserted. "I mentioned the exact same idea, except the plan was to use it against the mercs. I endangered the mission, and I let you down…"

"You did no such thing, Shepard," Thane contradicted as he rejoined them. "If you had stayed in heavier cover, we would have lost you as a weapon against the mechs when they moved out of your line of sight. And staying safe in the shadows while your team is at risk is beyond your capabilities."

"Both Garrus and Thane check out just fine, Commander," the doctor reported. "And from what I understand of the circumstances, they are right that you shouldn't blame yourself. It just happened."

"But…I…" Shepard began.

"But you would prefer to declare yourself at fault rather than accept that some things are not within your control," Chakwas stated. "You see, I do know you pretty well, Commander. And relinquishing a little control is an area where you need some work." She concluded with a bit of a smirk, "But it is good to be reminded that even you have flaws."

"And speaking of control," the doctor shifted topics, "I believe Garrus will soon have difficulty controlling his desire to sleep for the next 8 or so hours."

"I think the doctor is right about that, Shepard," Garrus acknowledged. "I was going to collect and clean your weapons and armor, but I'll do that first thing in the morning instead. I need to hit my bunk before we find out if Thane can carry me. Be good and listen to Dr. Chakwas. Tomorrow I'll visit and help you pass the time with whatever activities she says are okay."

He was nearly out the med bay doors when he turned and added, "And thank you, Doctor, for everything. I don't know what we'd do without you." He was no longer completely steady as he left the room, so Thane watched through the windows to ensure Garrus made it to the forward battery where he kept a cot.

While Thane tracked Garrus, Shepard made a request she knew would be turned down. "Doctor, is there any way I can spend tonight in my own bed? You know I never really rest when I'm in here."

"Commander, I sympathize, I do," Chakwas replied. "Not even I would be able to stand this room if I had your experiences with Cerberus. But you are recovering from the surgery anesthesia, in a little while you will need some pain relief to be comfortable, and you have some swelling in your brain. You need to be under observation."

Shepard was not one to give up. "But you can scan me now, scan me again first thing in the morning, and have EDI monitor my vitals in between."

Dr. Chakwas sighed. "You need someone with you. Here in med bay I have more sophisticated monitoring than EDI can provide, and I can check you personally every couple of hours while catching catnaps on a spare bed in between. You need to stay."

Thane spoke from the window. "Shepard, I am glad you feel well enough to argue with the good doctor, but you need to rely on her expertise. I should follow Garrus's example and say good night. But first may I have a word, Doctor?"

"Of course, Thane. Stay in the bed, Commander," Chakwas ordered. "I'll be back in a moment."

After taking a few steps away from the med bay entrance, she inquired, "Are you alright, Thane?"

"I am fine, Doctor, do not worry," came the ready reply. "There was something I wanted to ask out of the commander's hearing. If I offered my services to sit with Shepard through the night, would you be able to grant her request to sleep in her own quarters? I understand your medical reservations, but she needs rest in addition to monitoring. And you agreed she does not rest well here. You should also consider yourself. You are always on call and cannot afford a sleepless night if you can avoid it."

Chakwas considered his offer before objecting, "But you need sleep too, Thane. You came through the mission relatively unscathed, but I'm guessing your biotics saw heavy use. Not to mention the stress you experienced over the commander's injury and care."

"Drell assassins are trained to function without respite for days at a time if need be," he returned with a small smile. "I can meditate, which provides restful benefits while maintaining situational awareness. But even if I 'catnap' as you call it, I will awaken at any sound or sign of distress from Shepard. I am a light sleeper even when tired."

"Well, I could give EDI specific guidelines on what to look for in Shepard's vitals," she conceded. "And with you there with her…. You won't need to wake her every hour, but I would like you to rouse her two or three times throughout the night and ask her a couple of very easy questions. Between that and EDI's data, we should notice any change in the commander's condition even without my specialized equipment."

"But you must promise," she instructed in her most commanding tone, "to contact me immediately if you suspect any kind of impairment—if she becomes difficult to rouse, can't seem to focus, or struggles with simple questions. Being sleepy is fine, and even a tad high from the pain meds I'll give her, but I think you know the difference between those states and something worrisome."

"High?" Thane asked, surprised.

"Using pain meds with Shepard is tricky since Cerberus brought her back," Chakwas explained. "Her body is slightly resistant to them now due to the cybernetic implants, plus her increased metabolism filters them out of her system more quickly. So I needed to come up with a stronger med that takes longer to break down. It took a few tries before I found something that works well for her. But it has two downsides. The first is that it interferes with anesthesia, so I can only use it when she is stabilized after any necessary surgery. The second is that it makes her just doped enough to lower her inhibitions."

Chakwas smiled in recollection. "Now this might seem an odd thing to say about someone with her reputation as a soldier, but Shepard is actually a very sweet young woman. You already know that she cares about the morale of her team and crew, so she is generous with compliments and other types of confidence builders. But the first time I gave her this med, I was still startled when she looked up at me, gave me an angelic smile, and told me I was 'the best doctor ever' and had lovely hair."

Thane subdued a grin with effort. "So an intoxicated Shepard becomes kinder? I might have to withdraw my offer, Doctor—the situation sounds perilous."

The doctor laughed. "I know you are not one for gossip and scuttlebutt, but please don't share that information with anyone, even Garrus. Shepard finds it extremely embarrassing—when she manages to remember that she said anything at all. Now let's go give her the good news before I catch her trying to sneak out of that bed."

* * *

**As always, I would love your feedback. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Medicine

Shepard was overjoyed by Chakwas' change of heart, but she looked at the drell with concern. He held up a hand to forestall her objections. "I have already explained to the doctor that I do not require much sleep," Thane stated. "And I believe travel is the single activity planned for tomorrow, so I can nap during the day if need be. Unless you would be uneasy in my presence?"

"Of course not, Thane. That's not it at all," Shepard denied. "I trust you as much as I trust Garrus and Dr. Chakwas. I just don't want you to suffer any ill effects."

"Then it appears the issue is decided," he affirmed, one side of his mouth kicking up into his half smile. Neither noticed the doctor's speculative glance back and forth between them.

"Your surgical meds will be wearing off soon," Chakwas commented. "Let me give you an injection for pain so you can sleep, and then Sere Krios and I can escort you to the loft."

"Just one more request, Doctor?" Shepard asked. "Can you give me the injection once I'm in bed? I know this is asking a lot, but I would do nearly anything for a chance to rinse off in the shower and brush my teeth. In exchange, I'll stay in bed or relax or do whatever you want me to do tomorrow, no arguments. Promise."

"Pointing out that you just underwent an operation doesn't faze you, does it?" the doctor remarked with resignation. "Well, the surgery site is sealed and protected, so water won't do any harm. Extend your promise to include the next day and I'll consider it. But first let's see how you feel once you're in your quarters. Thane, if you would kindly assist the commander?"

As the assassin bent to lift his injured friend, he rasped softly in her ear, "Do you think you'll remember this time, Shepard?"

She sighed as she was gently, carefully cradled against his chest. He was warm and solid, and his obvious strength made her feel safe. The fact he was restraining that strength for her comfort prompted memories of being cherished, as if she were precious. How many years had it been since she last experienced those sensations?

Despite the emotion closing her throat, she tried for a nonchalant tone. "Um, remember what, exactly? Memory loss from the concussion, you know." She felt his amused rumble more than heard it and couldn't prevent a shiver of pleasure.

Thane noted the small, involuntary movement. "Pain?" he asked as they left med bay and headed for the elevator.

She looked up into his eyes while they waited for the doors to open. "No, I'm okay for now. I appreciate you doing this."

Thane stayed back a step so Chakwas could enter ahead of him while he quietly thrummed, "No thanks are needed. This is a pleasure I will enjoy recalling."

Shepard felt a blush spreading and had to duck her head.

The perpetually slow elevator felt too fast on this particular trip, as far as Shepard was concerned. She was inside the door of her quarters with Thane and Chakwas before she knew it.

"Okay, Thane, I'd like you to set her upright but keep your support of her weight," Chakwas directed. "How do you feel, Shepard? Any dizziness?"

"No, head is pretty clear," she replied. "As you predicted, the meds are beginning to wear off so I'm definitely uncomfortable, but there's no stabbing pain anywhere."

Moving slowly, the doctor guided Thane and Shepard step-by-step through the process of letting the commander safely try out her legs and her balance. Finally she decreed that Shepard was steady enough on her feet for a quick shower as long as the doctor could wait just outside the door.

"Thane, why don't you take a moment to prepare for the night while I help Shepard get cleaned up and ready for bed," Chakwas suggested. "We shouldn't need more than 10 minutes."

"As you say, Doctor," he acknowledged. "I'll visit my quarters for the datapad I've been reading and return."

Exiting the elevator after the requested interval, Thane was surprised to hear raised voices from the commander's quarters. He used the intercom to make sure his presence would be welcome and entered when the door opened. The two women were in the doorway of the bathroom, with Shepard in a long t-shirt made damp by her wet hair.

"Doctor, there's no reason why I can't dry my hair and then walk 20 feet to my own bed," Shepard, plainly tired and frustrated, claimed.

"It's more like 25, and you need to remember the point I made earlier about knowing when to relinquish some control," Chakwas retorted. "You are already in pain, and the effort to shower has you swaying. Staying on your feet to continue this argument, standing long enough to use your dryer, and walking down those stairs and across the room are all out of the question. I'm not about to let you risk further injury in a fall for the sake of your pride."

Thane decided to chance their combined wrath with a compromise. "If I take most of her weight and keep her steady, as I did earlier, may she dry her hair, Doctor? And Shepard, will you agree to one last carry afterward?"

Dr. Chakwas kept her face impassive when the commander accepted Thane's conditions without further debate. Shepard hadn't gotten to this point in her life and career without a lot of willpower and sheer stubbornness, though she typically didn't resort to them over minor issues. But when she did go into bullheaded mode, no one could change her mind. Except, apparently, Thane. The doctor bit back a smile at the implications and approved the plan.

She stepped back from the doorway and watched as Thane took her place. "How do you wish to do this, Shepard?" he questioned.

The commander glanced down at her t-shirt before looking up at Thane. "Um, I usually stand in front of the mirror. The dryer is on the shelf to the right. I…um, I guess you need to stand behind me so I can lean on you for support and balance."

"Like this?" he murmured into her hair as he put his hands around her waist and lifted her into the position she described. Through her thin shirt, she could feel the slight roughness of his scales and callouses. The heat and power of his lean build caused a tingle all along her back, especially when he bent slightly and pulled her a little tighter into the curve of his body to take more of her weight. She decided she never wanted either of them to move again. "Shepard?"

"Yes, this is…fine," she stammered. She reached for the dryer and turned it on, but her fatigue and Thane's distracting presence made using it awkward.

"You may be the Savior of the Citadel," declared an exasperated Chakwas, "but right now you're being as obstinate as a cranky toddler. Give me the dryer and your comb."

Thane kept his breathing even with an effort as he relished the sensation of Shepard in his arms. The hands around her middle wanted to stroke and explore her slender form, to enjoy the subtle feminine curves that were as much a part of her as the underlying muscle. The dryer blew warm air and strands of red hair against his sensitive throat in an unexpected caress. The odd threads were even silkier than he had anticipated. The desire to hum his pleasure was difficult to control, but he knew the commander would be able to feel the vibrations. Finally, Chakwas was satisfied that Shepard's hair was dry enough.

"You're right, Doctor," Shepard admitted on a shaky sigh. "I don't think I could have done this myself. And I'm ready for that lift to the bed. Feels like everything is hitting me now."

"Then let's get you comfortable for the night," Thane stated, "so you can get the rest you need." He knew his voice was lower than usual, with a pulsing thrum in his subharmonics he hoped the two women could not hear. "A visit from Garrus in the morning means you will need your wits about you."

With that he slipped one arm under her legs and the other around her shoulders to carry her against his chest once more. He resisted the impulse to rub his fingers over the surface of her uninjured knee. What he could feel from the placement of his hand was soft beyond compare. The surgical repair on her opposite thigh was a reminder of her close call, but all he could focus on was the creamy expanse of bare skin from her toes to the hem of her nightshirt.

"Thane?" Chakwas interrupted, with a knowing glint in her eyes. "The bed is that way."

"Of course. Am I causing you pain, Shepard?" he worried. He began walking toward the stairs.

"I'm definitely feeling the bruising on my back now," she confided. "No, don't try to move your arm. There's really no position that would be an improvement, and we're nearly there. Besides," she added with an attempt at a chuckle, "you are still more comfortable than Garrus would be."

Thane gave her a small smile in return. "Perhaps that should remain our secret, Shepard. You know how sensitive our mutual friend can be. You would not wish to hurt his delicate feelings."

Shepard laughed outright at that and then groaned. "Oh, don't turn comedian now, Krios. My sore muscles and headache won't take it."

They now stood at the bedside, Chakwas right behind. "Do you wish me to place you on your side, to avoid the injury to your back?" Thane asked.

"Yes, please," she replied. "On my right side, if you can manage."

Maneuvering as smoothly as possible, and studiously ignoring the nightshirt's shifting and bunching, Thane got her into the bed. Reluctantly, he stepped back to let the doctor examine her patient and administer the pain meds.

"This should take effect quickly and help with your pain until morning," Chakwas explained. "Thane will wake you twice during the night to check on you, but you should be able to get back to sleep with little difficulty. If the pain returns and keeps you from resting, let him know and he'll contact me."

She turned her head to her drell assistant. "It's not quite 2300. I think checking her at 0200 and 0500 should be sufficient, but please err on the side of caution if you suspect a problem. And just ask two or three very basic questions—the year, her favorite weapon, the name of her hamster—nothing she has to think about. She should be able to answer almost as a reflex."

Shepard reached out her hand for the medical officer's. "I can't express how grateful I am, Doctor," she said. "For keeping me in the fight, for understanding my weird quirks, for not chucking me out an airlock when I'm being stupid. Mostly, for being a good friend."

Chakwas briefly touched Shepard's cheek with her free hand. "Never doubt that you are worth it, Morgan. Now get some sleep. Doctor's orders. I'll be back in the early morning to relieve Thane." After a quick squeeze, she reclaimed her hand then made her way out the door. Once her back was to the bed, she smiled, wishing she didn't disapprove so much of gossip. She would love to discuss these two with Garrus when he stopped by to have his stitches checked.

Thane lifted the lounge chair from the seating area and moved it to the side of Shepard's bed. "Is there anything I can get you?" he inquired, allowing more of his concern to resonate in his voice now that the doctor was gone.

"Hmmm. No, I'll be out soon," she confessed. "Actually, could you feed my fish for me? Other than that, make yourself at home. The desk by the seating area has a small fridge under it. I keep some water and juice, sometimes some yogurt there. Help yourself."

Her eyes started closing and she fought them open. "Sorry. There's a drawer below my closet over there. It holds a spare blanket and linens, and you can have this extra pillow I never use. You know, if you want to make a bunk on the couch."

Sensing she was uncomfortable from more than her body's injuries, Thane issued a low, calming drone. "Relax, Shepard."

Her eyes drifted shut again. She struggled to open them for a moment, though they closed again almost immediately. "It's that control thing Chakwas mentioned," she voice fading even as she spoke. "I hate this feeling…knowing this drug is making me sleep…instead of it being my choice."

"You may have noticed that control is also part of my nature," he whispered in a soothing rhythm, trying to lull her into sleep. "Medication that slows or stops my response to my environment is something I likewise distrust and avoid. But here and now, aboard the Normandy, we are safe, Shepard."

He gave in to the urge to take her hand again, tenderly brushing his thumb over her delicate skin. "I will stay with you. Garrus and the doctor are nearby. And everyone on this ship would face a charging krogan battlemaster to protect you if you were in need. You can let go tonight, Shepard. Just for tonight. And you will be strong again in the morning."

He thought a smile flitted across her face before she relaxed completely into sleep.

Thane kept her hand for a few minutes, watching her even breathing, before he made himself release her. After feeding Shepard's fish and checking on her pet rodent, he moved to the seating area. Now that all the actions had been taken and the long day was ending, he could at last let himself feel some of the emotion he had been holding at bay. As he settled on the floor in his meditation posture, he recalled his conversation with Garrus from the previous afternoon: _"Either one of us—even Shepard—could be gone just like that if some merc…gets lucky."_

It had come so close to that today. Thane let the panic and fear surface then breathed them away. He did the same with the overwhelming relief and the almost compulsive need to grab Shepard and never let her go. Once he was calm and centered again, he sent his thanks to Arashu for her guidance as he tended Shepard's injuries. For her protection of Garrus and the expertise of her surrogate Dr. Chakwas. To Kalahira for her willingness to extend the commander's time on this side of the sea. And to Amonkira for his assistance in sending that Blue Suns captain to Kalahira's judgment.

After meditation and prayers, he sat down on the couch with some water and the datapad he had been reading. The internal clock developed and honed by his training alerted him when 0200 was approaching, and he turned off his omnitool alarm just before it beeped. He moved back to the chair by the bed and called Shepard's name. On the third try, she opened her eyes.

"Hi," she mumbled, a little groggy but otherwise aware. Then a small giggle bubbled up. "I know the drill. You've got questions?"

"I sense I don't need to ask them," Thane replied with a thread of dry humor in his voice, "but what year is it?"

"Oh, give me a challenge. It's 2185."

"Your hamster's name?"

"Meep. Obviously. 'Cause that's what he says."

"Your special name for Garrus?"

"Ooh, a curveball. Freaky raptor guy," she smirked and then yawned. "Want to go for one more?"

"What does the initial A in your full name stand for?" Thane wasn't sure why that question came to mind, but he hoped she would respond.

"Krios is being sneaky," Shepard grinned a little dopily and giggled again. "You don't know what it's for, and you're taking advantage of my drugged state to pump me for info."

"Sneaky is something I do rather well," he replied with a hint of smugness. "But this is not part of the doctor's test. You need not answer."

"It's not a big secret or anything, especially since you already know my first name." At Thane's puzzled look, she continued, "Just about everyone calls me Shepard or Commander." She stretched gingerly, winced just a little, and yawned again. "I don't think it occurs to most people that I have a first name. Garrus and another friend are the only ones who really use it. Even Dr. Chakwas only resorts to it when I've scared her or made her really angry."

"I like your first name," she admitted drowsily. "Thane. Means some interesting things in a couple of old Earth languages. You'll have to tell me sometime if it has special significance in drell."

She snuggled into her pillow and closed her eyes. "Middle name is Alannah. Blend of my dad's middle name and my mom's first name. So I'd always have part of them with me." She started drifting off.

"They gave you a wonderful gift, Shepard," Thane crooned softly, looking at the family group in the framed drawing nearby.

"Yeah, they did," she sighed, mostly asleep. "They were pretty wonderful parents." And then she was out.

Thane smiled at her slumbering form, completely charmed by a high, giggly, sleepy Shepard. She liked his name. It was ridiculous how much that statement pleased him. With the pleasure came a mild stab of guilt at seeking information when her usual defenses were low. He would have to show more restraint the next time he woke her.

He attempted to read again but could not keep his attention from wandering to the bed. Additional seated reflection did not appeal, and he did not wish to sleep. He decided on a different kind of meditation, one that used the flowing martial arts exercises he had been taught as a child and continued to practice. After removing his coat and shifting the commander's coffee table, he began the series of slow, precise movements, giving it all his concentration.

Again his internal clock reminded him of the time as he ended a sequence, but he wasn't quite quick enough to silence his omnitool alarm before it sounded. He glanced at the bed to find green eyes watching him.

"Wow," Shepard whispered, awed. "You're…beautiful. I guessed that your stripes probably went from your head down your neck to your shoulders. I didn't guess your arms." That artless giggle slipped out again. "You're…amazing."

Thane could feel the flush in the ribbing of his frill and told himself this was the meds talking. Chakwas had warned him about lowered inhibition. But just because Shepard would not normally say these things did not mean she did not think them and believe them. Did it?

He returned to the chair next to the bed. "Time for more questions," he told her.

She suddenly looked contrite. "I shouldn't have said that, should I? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Shepard…Morgan, I am not upset," he soothed, hoping his instinct to use her given name was not inappropriate. He edged forward in the seat, a little closer to her. "You've done nothing wrong."

"Really? You sure?" she asked, plaintive. "Wait. You called me Morgan. I…I like that…. Um, so, questions?"

"How old are you?"

"Almost 31."

"What rifle to you carry?"

"A Widow."

"Where did we meet?"

"The Dantius Towers in Nos Astra on Illium. Do I pass again?" she requested, yawning.

"I think Dr. Chakwas and Garrus will be pleased at how well you are doing," he affirmed. "And I am relieved and pleased. The thought of losing my partner in discussion and debate was distressing."

"Discussion partner?" She sounded wistful again and burrowed back into her pillow. "It's a start, I guess."

"A start?" Thane asked, leaning even closer. How…intriguing. Her eyes were closing, but he didn't want her to fade out, not quite yet.

Suddenly her eyes popped open again as she took a deep breath. "Your smell…," she began, but then she paused.

Thane shifted back in the seat. "Forgive me. I was exercising earlier…."

"No, don't—" Her reassurance was cut off by a yawn. "I've tried to place your scent before but couldn't quite do it. You smell like…warmth… Like nutmeg and cloves…and sunbaked sandstone on a scorching hot day." She relaxed deeper into her pillow, eyes nearly closed. "And leather, quality leather… Sometimes I wish I could wrap your scent around me…and hold it close… It feels…like…" And then she was asleep, thought unfinished.

"And I like your scent. Vanilla and honey and lilacs," Thane murmured to the sleeping woman. A bottle of lotion in her bathroom had identified the unfamiliar floral component for him. He slowly reached out and traced her cheekbone with a single finger, then swept a lock of her hair off her face and behind her ear. The yearning throb in his deepest register would have been obvious to Garrus or another drell, but for once he didn't need to control or contain it.

"Sleep well, Siha. And dream of warmth wrapping you tight, keeping you safe. Dream of me."

* * *

**This storyline continues in "Bad Days and Birthdays." **

**As always, I would love your feedback. Thanks for reading!**


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